New on DVD: 'Pacific Rim,' 'The Heat'

Rick Bentle, Times Union

By Rick Bentley

Published 2:37 pm, Wednesday, October 16, 2013

This film publicity image released by 20th Century Fox shows Sandra Bullock as FBI Special Agent Sarah Ashburn, left, and Melissa McCarthy as Boston Detective Shannon Mullins in a scene from "The Heat." (AP Photo/20th Century Fox, Gemma La Mana)

This film publicity image released by 20th Century Fox shows Sandra...

"Pacific Rim": Giant robots battle giant monsters to save the world. There's a monstrous battle going on in this thriller, and it has nothing to do with the giant robots (called Jaegers) and monsters (known as Kaiju) who trade blows throughout the film. The clash of the titans is between the fantastic vision of director Guillermo del Toro and the cookie-cutter demands of a big summer blockbuster. The story goes for big emotional payoffs in the final act, but it's so sentimental, you expect the robots to cry.

"The Heat": Mismatched partners must find a way to work together. Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy star. Not since Mel Gibson and Danny Glover traded jabs in the "Lethal Weapon" movies has there been such an entertaining partnership. Director Paul Feig gets the most out of his leads' different comedy styles, using Bullock's more controlled humor as a buffer for McCarthy's often manic style. Feig travels no new ground with the buddy cop genre, but even the familiar feels fresh in the hands of McCarthy and Bullock. They feed off each other's acting energy and give the movie its comic core. But they aren't on their own. Feig's loaded the movie with a sterling supporting cast.

"Love Actually": This sweet, funny and nearly perfect romantic comedy is being released in a special Blu-ray combo pack to mark the 10th anniversary. An all-star cast that includes Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson and Andrew Lincoln make this story about the aspects of love actually an extremely easy movie to love.

"Defiance: Season One": The Syfy Channel series offers the most interesting look on television at humans dealing with aliens since "Alien Nation." In this case, several alien races have come to Earth after their solar system is destroyed. Earth is having its own problems and the communities left — including the one where St. Louis once stood that's now called Defiance — have to battle for survival.

Also:

"Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain"; "Les Miserables"; "Gunslinger," "Man of the East," "Pioneer Woman" and "Yuma"; "The New Three Stooges Complete Cartoon Collection"; "I Dream of Jeannie"; "Merry In-Laws"; "The March"; "Gentle Ben: Season One"; "The Best of Jack Hanna"; "Dracula: The Dark Prince"; "Lost and Found"; "Hitched for the Holidays"; "Exploding Sun"; "Shrek The Musical"; "Hart of Dixie"; "Bubble Guppies and Team Umizoomi: Into the Snow We Go"; "Cinco de Mayo: La Batalla"; "Ingenious"; "Anger Management: Volume Two."